A nurse who spent four months caring for Ebola patients has been honoured with a prestigious military medal from Prince William.

Rachel Falconer, 33, who works on the accident an emergency ward at Macclesfield Hospital, went to Sierra Leone to assist in the Ebola crisis.

Not only did she spend every single day providing care in the desperate and harrowing conditions, she also organised a charity runs to raise money for an orphanage for children who lose their parents to the disease.

She said: “I joined the military because I wanted to help in different environments. I’d like to think that if we were in that kind of position people would come over and help us. It was incredibly humbling and was a privilege to experience. It makes you appreciate everything you have in a completely different way.”

Rachel lived in a Sierra Leone Military base which had very little electricity, bucket showers and limited food, working every day in the stifling heat.

Rachel, who has been a nurse for eight years and joined the Army Reserves two years ago, said: “When I was out there it hit home just how poor the country was and how poor these people are, they live in utter poverty and are having to deal with this crisis.

“As a country we complain about so much but you’ve got to appreciate the littlest things.

“It was harrowing to see such young people with such a deadly disease and not always being able to save them.”

She added: “Our lifestyle was very different, we didn’t have a day off, but that was ok because we were going over there to help. “And you can’t complain when you go out to work and there’s little children with absolutely nothing running, you are very grateful for what you have.”

Despite being extremely busy, Rachel found time to organise a charity marathon in the 45degree heat - and together with fellow soldiers raised £1,000 for the St George’s Foundation.

In recognition of all her efforts, the former Fallibroome High School student was awarded the Task Force Commander’s Commendation at a ceremony with Prince William.

She said: “It was a fantastic day. Prince William awarded us our medals and we were absolutely thrilled. We had a chat about my job role over there and the marathons we organised while we were out there.

He was so lovely and down to earth, he instantly put you at ease and was genuinely interested in what’s going on.”